Clark County School District in Nevada, the fastest growing school district in the United States (building 157 new schools in less than twenty years) is resorting to regulation to stabilize the school faculties, with a rule that prohibits teachers from requesting transfers unless they have served at least two years in a school. The requirement is having the desired effect, reducing annual transfer requests from 17.5 percent to 9.3 percent--though the county isn't reporting how many unhappy campers are stuck in school buildings and making everyone miserable (they'll leave that report to the local union).

A less coercive policy that's targeted at the real problem--teachers trying to leave the more challenging schools--was more recently passed by state lawmakers. The new law gives teachers "retirement credits" if they'll agree to stay put in certain schools or if they teach subjects that are in shortage areas. The state will contribute more money to those teachers' retirement accounts as long as they don't request transfers.